Heart of Lead
by Posiden666
Summary: I'm a murderer. But I don't feel like one. My father is dead. My mother is too afraid of me to come near me. I have no friends. My world is a lonely, pitch-black void... Or at least it was before I met her. My name is Shino Asada, and this is my story! ShinoXKazuko. Female Kazuto. Yuri.
1. Muzzle Flash

**_~Posiden666: _**_So this FanFic will be completely different from The Archery Skill. It will not have a plot that is so big it makes your head spin, it won't have so many OCs it's hard to keep track of them all, and it won't take place almost entirely in the virtual world. One thing I can say with almost complete certainty will be the same though… It will be cute._

_An update on _**_The Archery Skill: _**_Short hiatus, I need some time to outline the plot, and stuff like that._

**_Warning: _**_Massive yuri_

* * *

**Heart of Lead**

Chapter 1: **Muzzle Flash**

* * *

I screamed. The boy on top of me continued repeating my name. He hissed it, screamed it, His spit covered my face. I tried to push Him off, but He was strong. I was weak. He pinned my wrists to the floor. I kept screaming, my throat going raw. "SHUT UP!" He snapped, moving to press His face against mine.

Glass stung my face, and I dimly registered the sound of a crash, muffled by His body. A streak of black flew over me, slamming into my attacker, throwing Him off of me. I struggled, sobbing, and propped myself up on my elbows, watching the fight uncomprehendingly. My savior threw Him into the back of the couch, which splintered. I could feel my arms, wet and sticky with blood, but the pain was dull, replaced with tense relief when He was slammed into the ground, unconscious. Above Him stood a figure with long black hair, with what looked like a taser glowing in her hand. They spun around. She seemed surprisingly familiar. The girl walked over to me and slid down beside me, her face kind.

"Hey," she said, looking me over.

"Hey," I whispered, shaking.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice full of concern.

"Yes... I think. Thank you, er..."

"Kazuko," she said, wrapping her arms loosely around me.

I was quiet for a moment, enjoying the slight comfort of her embrace. The name sounded familiar as well. "I'm Shino."

"I know who you are. You probably know me as Kirito."

My mind went blank. This was Kirito. The BOY who helped me win the BoB. "But-but you're a g-girl!"

She giggled a little bit, and then replied, "I got a rare random avatar that looked like a guy."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I stammered, feeling my face beginning to flush.

"Well…" she pondered, "It was just...I guess I thought I had a better shot of you liking me if I was a guy. It was an awkward topic," she said, looking away from me and scratching the back of her head.

My face became a thousand degrees, "You wanted me to what!?"

"I just thought you might like me more," she repeated unhelpfully.

I stayed silent. My mind going crazy. This girl liked me? Did she like-like me? Ah!

"I can see I've only made this situation more awkward, so I'll go," she said, letting go of me and beginning to get up.

I grabbed her arm, "Wait!"

She looked at me like I had gone mad, but she sat back down on the floor and asked me what I meant.

"I-I'm scared," I said. I began shivering, hoping the compassion she had shown before still remained.

"Okay," she replied, pulling me closer to her, into a warm hug.

Although I had seemed freaked out by Kazuko earlier, she felt good. "How long can you stay," I asked, looking up at her from where my head rested on her chest.

She looked down, her kind violet eyes meeting mine and letting me forget what had just happened, if only for a moment, "As long as you need," Kazuko replied.

_Yay._ I thought, though I didn't know why.

I nuzzled into the comfortable girl beside me slightly more, before noticing that I was still bleeding, and that the bruising He had inflicted was starting to show. I stumbled up, told her that I'd be right back and to just make herself at home, then rushed off into the bathroom.

"While you do that, I'll call the police." She yelled after me.

* * *

Several minutes later, I walked out of the bathroom having cleaned off the blood and taken out the glass shards. Kazuko sat on my couch and typing on her phone. "I'm not keeping you from something important, am I?" I asked nervously.

"Huh? No, don't worry."

"Ok cool. Would you like some tea?" I asked, already starting to get out the kettle.

"Oh. Umm. Sure."

I began to hum, not because I usually did when I made tea, but because the silence was so loud it felt like it was perforating my eardrums. I filled the kettle and put it on to boil.

"So…" the girl started awkwardly, "Where are your parents?"

"I live alone."

"Oh," she said, obviously afraid she'd hit a nerve. I finished setting up the teapot for the boiling water and joined her on the couch.

"It's nice sometimes," I lied.

She looked around the apartment, obviously in search of a topic to redirect the current conversation. The tea kettle whistled, and I got up and poured the steaming water into the pot.

"Do you have any hobbies?" She asked, as I brought the teapot and cups to the coffee table, almost dropping them due to my shaking hands.

"Not really, other than GGO. But you know about that," I offered unhelpfully. I poured us both some tea, and I sank back into the couch - just a little too close to Kazuko - but she didn't seem to mind. "So why do you carry a taser?"

"Oh, this," She asked, picking it up and fiddling with it. "Because carrying a sword around would look funny. And this is non-lethal."

"You really like swords, don't you?"

"Well," she started, "It's complicated"

"Oh?"

"Remember what I said about Sword Ar-"

A loud banging sounded on the door. "It's the police," spoke a voice from outside.

We both stood up, I was shaking a little. Kazuko gave me a brief hug, and went over to the door.

* * *

"Thank you for your cooperation, ladies," said the officer, dragging the handcuffed unconscious boy out of Shino's apartment.

"Well, I'm glad that's over with," I said, half because it was true, and half to try to break the endless silence.

I failed: the silence continued.

We kept standing there for a few more minutes. Neither of us spoke a word. Our breathing seemed loud in the silent room.

"So…" I started, grasping at straws for a topic that we could talk about, walking back to the couch and sitting down, "What was it like to be in Sword Art Online?"

She walked over to me, collapsing into the soft couch, "We aren't really supposed to talk about it," she sighed.

In a last attempt to lose myself in the conversation and not think about what had just occurred, I wrapped my arms around her, resting my head on her shoulder, and began to shiver, "Oh please, Kazuko, I _need_ you to tell me a story," I whispered.

She began rubbing my back and exhaled. Her eyes locked with mine, and I could see her trying to suppress a smile, "Fine," she responded.

* * *

She began reliving her first day in SAO to me, saying that I needed to understand the setting and circumstances under which she was trapped for two years. She finished the story with quoting Akihiko Kayaba's monologue during the first day of the death game.

The next story she told me was about a dragon, and how she fell into its lair, only to ride atop the beast to escape the next morning.

It was getting late and my eyelids were beginning to feel heavy. With my head resting on the girl's lap, and her fingers gently stroking my hair, the day's events seemed more distant, almost as if it was all a dream. Almost.

Kazuko was still telling tales of her adventure and heroism within the world of swords. I was only barely listening, when I heard a name, one of the few the girl had mentioned. "Asuna." Kazuko spoke her name differently than all the others. I looked up into her eyes, shining as she recounted a time when she had, almost single-handedly, defeated a floor boss. Apparently, Asuna had dashed in to save several exhausted Army soldiers but had not noticed the monster swap aggro to her. Luckily for her, Kazuko had been quick to react: deflecting the boss's strike and using her previously secret unique skill to solo it.

I sighed, wondering at how her eyes sparkled when she spoke of Asuna.

"Hey Kazuko," I started sadly, my heart felt strangely pained at what I assumed would be her answer to my next question, "Who's Asuna?"

Kazuko gave me a forced little half smile, and moved her hand to the back of her neck. She stared into space for a few seconds before finally saying, "Well… She's a lot of things."

* * *

**_November 6, 2022:_**_ 9,972 players logged on for the official launch of Sword Art Online. It was the first VRMMORPG ever created. Five hours after it's launch, the world realized that the players had not logged into a game, but a death trap. At 5:30 that day, Akihiko Kayaba announced this to the players, but 241 players had already died..._

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Okay, so I know this is a really short chapter, but before I put too much time into this, I want to hear what you people think. This story will make updates on my other story probably take a little longer, but since they take completely different mindsets to write, it shouldn't interfere that much._

_Thanks to my long-time beta-reader _**_~Furrballnerd _**_for all his help smoothing everything over. Also, to _**_~Mauriot_** _for all her help on writing girls, and yuri and all that. Y'all are awesome._

_Anyways, tell me what you think in your _**_R&amp;R's_**_._

_Next time: _**_"Ballistic"_**


	2. Ballistic

_**~Posiden666:**_ _Thank you to all of you who reviewed, your support for this fanfiction has been quite encouraging. I have sent most of you replies via P.M.s, and will not post review responses at the beginnings of chapters for this fic._

_Edit(1/30/15): I added punctuation to Shino's thoughts but not her heart._

_**Some things that may be useful in this, and later, chapters:**_

_(Particularly the difference in Shino's thoughtss.)_

"Speaking,"

_Thinking._

_~my heart~_

Narration.

* * *

**Heart of Lead**

Chapter 2: **Ballistic**

* * *

_...**By midnight,** another 700 players had died, either from panicking and dying to mobs, or committing suicide. Very few were prepared to believe it was real. In response to the mass hysteria, Mental Health Counseling program [Yui] was launched by the Cardinal system. With its help, only 207 more players lost their lives during the remainder of the month..._

* * *

"Who's Asuna?"

Kazuko gave me a forced little half smile and moved her hand to the back of her neck. She stared into space for a few seconds before finally answering, "Well… She's a lot of things."

"Who is she to you?" I ask, my voice more insistent, slightly desperate, and my chest aching more.

The girl sighed, "I knew what we were once…" she responded.

It felt like a two-hundred kilogram weight was just lifted off my chest. The feeling confused me, and if I could just...figure out the reason...why..._why did I feel a sense of joy when she said that? Why does her smile make my heart skip? Why did it feel like someone was holding a gun to my chest when Kazuko spoke so fondly of a girl I've never even met?_ _A gun... No..._

My head began to spin:

_Darkness_

A man's face. A terrible face. A bloodied face.

_Blood_

A pair of hands. A child's hands. Bloodied hands.

_So much blood_

He reaches out, his eyes filled with hate and greed. His torso full of holes. His clothes stained with blood.

_Blood everywhere_

The hands clutch an object. It is dark and metallic. The man is reaching towards me.

_Stop_

They lift the object, leveling it to the man's head. It is heavy; they struggle to lift it up.

_No_

My head spins, the hands and the object disappear. I now see a little girl. My arm is outstretched. I am pleading. In her hands is an object; it's finish dull and black. The room is black. I am in agony. All I see is a little girl; all I feel is despair. And then nothing at all.

_Darkness_

* * *

My throat was raw, and my nose filled with the stench of bile. I was in my bathroom. Kazuko had, apparently, carried me there.

"Hey," came her voice.

I looked around, only now realising she was kneeling next to me and rubbing my back.

"Hey…" I tried to reply, my voice coming out scratchy and pained.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah… I should be."

"Here," she said, handing me a glass of water.

I took the glass, the liquid rinsing the stinging sensation from my throat. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said, standing up and extending a hand.

I took it, and she pulled me up to her. Our faces were now dangerously close. _My breath! _ I turned away, quickly covering my mouth. "What time is?" I asked her, still looking away.

"Umm… Twelve-ish."

_Its late... I don't want to dream tonight._

"Hey Kazuko?"

"Yeah?" She replied, while I downed another glass of water. _That should be slightly better._

"Are you tired?" I asked, turning back to meet her gaze.

She pondered the question briefly, studying my expression. "I wouldn't say I'm about to pass out," she replied carefully.

_Thank goodness._

"You wanna do something fun?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

"It's a surprise," I replied, grabbing her hand and pulling her back to the couch, "Wait here and close your eyes."

"Err, okay," she mumbled, closing her eyes.

* * *

"You can open your eyes now."

"That took a while, is it exciting." She opened her eyes.

_It only took a few seconds to find, but I brushed my teeth too._

"I don't get it," she questioned, "It's your AmuSphere... But only one person can use it at a time."

I shook my head, a bittersweet smile spreading across my face, "It's His AmuSphere."

"Oh. So… LAN party?"

"Yeah!" I exclaimed, "Unless you don't want too…" My voice trailed off.

"No, I'd love to," she interrupted, her smile making my heart race.

_Why is this happening?_

_~it's because you like her~_

_NO! I don't… I can't! She's a girl!_

_~so?~_

_It's just… Wrong!_

_~why?~_

_Because…_

_Because…_

_Because… _

"Shino?"

_Huh?_

"Shino?!"

"I'm back," I said, shaking my head.

"Are you alright?" She asked, considerably closer than I remembered her being.

"Yeah," I sighed, "I'm fine."

"You obviously aren't. What's on your mind?" she asked, pulling both of us down to the couch, "You can tell me anything."

_I have nothing to tell her._

_~you're scared~_

_I am not!_

_~not of her ~ you're scared of yourself ~ you're scared of him ~ you're scared of darkness~_

"I-I'm scared."

"What is it that you're afraid of," she asks, her hand gently rubbing my back.

"Of Him... Of my past... Of my future... Of death..." I said, and it was true, today was the end of my sanity.

_Why do so many terrible things happen to me?_

"Hey," she said, pulling me into a hug. I buried my head in her shoulder, and began to cry.

_It feels good to cry._

"Shhh…" She whispered, "I'm here. I'll protect you from harm, and help you through your pain. You're not alone."

_~you're not alone~_

We stayed like that for a while. Me, soaking her shirt with several years worth of tears. Her, sitting at my side, whispering me promises and stroking my back. Every once and a while she'd bend down and kiss the top of my head.

* * *

My sobs stopped, having run out of tears. I lifted my gaze to meet hers. Her eyes were soft. Her smile; warm. She radiated with some special kind of Something that made me feel all fuzzy and I felt like I was about to melt.

Her fingers ran through my hair again, and she asked, "Better?"

"Define better," I said, fairly sure that I was, at least for the moment, feeling less like I was alone and lost in an endless void.

"Well you stopped crying, so either it helped, or you can't cry anymore."

"I think both," I whispered.

Her smile broadened, and she pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back, and with my voice muffled against her chest, I whispered, "Thank you Kazuko."

* * *

_**A/N: **__Hey. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I __**love**_ _writing this. Please tell me your thoughts on it in your __**reviews**__, it's so much easier to write when I know you __**humans(?)**_ _like it._

_I have some other (definite) humans to thank for helping me write this chapter: __**~Furrballnerd,**_ _for all his help with proofing and suggestions on what sucked and what REALLY sucked (check him out, he writes for SAO too); also, my friend __**~Mauriot,**_ _for all her help with the (right now very awkward/feelzy) lesbian romance. Thanks, you humans(!) are awesome._

_That's all, remember to __**R&amp;R**_ _and all that, I'll see you next chapter!_

_Next Time: __**Heart Shot**_


	3. Heart Shot

**_~Posiden666:_**_ No notes today._

**_Edit:_** _All chapters contain an intro/outro that are all part of the same scene, but is a separate scene from the chapter they are in._

**_Ch 1: November 6, 2022:_** _9,972 players logged on for the official launch of Sword Art Online. It was the first VRMMORPG ever created. Five hours after it's launch, the world realized that the players had not logged into a game, but a death trap. At 5:30 that day, Akihiko Kayaba announced this to the players, but 241 players had already died…_

**_Ch 2: _**_..._**_By midnight,_** _another 700 players had died, either from panicking and dying to mobs, or committing suicide. Very few were prepared to believe it was real. In response to the mass hysteria, Mental Health Counseling program [Yui] was launched by the Cardinal system. With its help, only 207 more players lost their lives during the remainder of the month..._

**_Some things that may be useful in this, and later, chapters:_**

_(Particularly the difference in Shino's thoughts.)_

"Speaking,"

_Thinking._

_~my heart~_

Narration.

* * *

**Heart of Lead**

Chapter 3: **Heart Shot**

* * *

**...Upon reaching floor 25,** an infrastructure for systematically clearing floors had been established. The most elite players in the game formed the "Lead Group" shortly after clearing the second floor, and they hadn't lost a player since their first raid…

* * *

My eyes ached. I saw red. _Blood? _I heard a voice.

"Wakey wakey Shino-chan."

_Who is that?_

"You fell asleep on me this morning at about 3 A.M."

The memories of the previous night's events returned to me. I felt my face heat up, and I opened my eyes. The red I had seen was just the sunlight streaming through the window.

I looked down to the voice's source. _Violet eyes. _My nose brushed against hers making my face's color comparable to that of a tomato. I couldn't move. _She's so close._ My heart beat loudly, and being so close, I was sure Kazuko could feel it. _~do it~_ My traitorous eyes drifted to her lips where a small smile was beginning to form. _So soft._ I forced my gaze back to her eyes, and could see she was conflicted about something. _I can't._ I quickly backed off, now sitting on the girls lower stomach, my hands resting on her ribcage.

"Sleep well?" She asked, though probably knowing the answer.

"No worse than normal." I sighed, and it was the truth, even though 'that' had happened. Sometimes when I closed my eyes I could still see His face drooling above me and His crazed empty eyes. Even so I had somehow managed to sleep without a single nightmare. Though like always I still had bad dreams.

I realized that I had, essentially, forced the girl to sleep with me on top of her, and quickly added, "I hope you were somewhat comfortable, I'm sorry for…" I trailed off, Kazuko had begun to giggle slightly.

"Quite, but thank you for the concern," she said, giving me what seemed to be her signature half-smile.

My face reddened slightly, "Would you like some breakfast?" I asked, changing the subject quickly, "I mean, it's the least I can do for you after all your help."

She smiled at me warmly, "That'd be great. Do you need any help?"

"Nope!" I exclaimed, gayly bounding off of her and towards the kitchenette.

I got down a pan and spatula, having decided to make omelettes. "Would you like some coffee or tea?" I ask, turning on the burner.

"Umm, tea would be nice."

"Alright," I replied, smiling. I ran some water and put it on to boil before cracking some eggs into the hot pan.

As the water started to boil, I could hear an unfamiliar phone begin to ring. Kazuko answered with a bright hello. I took the water off the stove, and began to make the tea, absently listening to her conversation.

"Hey…" "America?" "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" "Yes, I'm happy for you, it's just that… well that's so far away. How will we-"

I pulled the teabags from a high cupboard and sat them on the counter, eavesdropping on the silence of Kazuko.

"No!" "You can't say that over the phone! It's not fair!"

I startled, suddenly piecing together what I was hearing. _Who is she talking to? What do I do?_

"I AM Kirito! The boy you fell in love with was me. Why should my sex even matter?"

The kettle screamed in the background and I pulled it off the stove quickly, steam rushing into my face.

"You're terrible. Why did you never tell me before?" She choked for a second. "Why did you make me love you? Why…" she wept, and dropped the phone.

I hesitated for a second, gauging the silence, then shuffled into the living room. She was prone on the couch, the phone blinking beside her hand on the floor.

I walked over to her, and set the teapot on the coffee table, and daring to look into her face. Her cheeks were red, and she had her hand covering her eyes. She was sniffling in short stifled spasms; still trying to hide her pain.

I sat down at the foot farthest from her head. "Are you okay?" I asked, knowing full well the answer.

She wiped her eyes, and slowly sat up. She took a deep breath, and and closed her eyes for a second. "I'm fine." She said, her voice barely wavering on the last word.

I picked up the pot, and poured the steamy liquid into a cup, "Would you like some tea?"

"Very much," she said, "Thank you," her voice was getting calmer.

I poured a second cup, and slid closer to her, handing it to her. She took it, and hastily brought it to her lips. Her hands began to shake and she put the cup down before breaking out into tears again._Should I give her a hug, and try to comfort her? Would that be weird?_

_~of course you should ~ if she's your friend it would be weird not to help her~_

She wiped her eyes and made a move to stand, but instead of rising her knees buckled beneath her. She sniffled, and raised her head. Her eyes, wet and glassy, for the first time in what seemed like forever, met mine. Tears streamed down her cheeks and, gazing into her violet eyes, it seemed like a piece of her had been ripped out.

I kneeled down on the floor, and pulled her towards me, resting her head on my chest, I began to stroke her hair, "It'll get better."

We sat like that for a minute, until she started squirming, and I let her move away. She turned to face me, her figure slumped against the couch. We just looked at each other for several minutes, before I noticed the tear silently rolling out of the corner of her eye.

I crawled closer to her and took her hands. I stood up in an attempt to pull her with me. She halfheartedly attempted to push away before throwing her arms around me, and pressing her face into my shoulder. "Shino… she… she's gone…"

I rubbed her back as she clung on to me, _She did this for me last night, I've gotta do everything I can to help her. _"I'm here, and I don't intend on going anywhere anytime soon."

"Thanks Shino," she mumbled into my shoulder, "I know we've only just met, and I'm just dumping my problems onto you, but I'm glad I have someone to help me."

"Nonsense," I said, running my fingers through her long black hair, and sitting us down onto the couch. "You helped me out yesterday."

She continued crying, and I kept rocking her back and forth. "Asuna…"

"Huh?" I asked, though I heard her clearly and understood.

"That was Asuna… on the phone… She was my girlfriend."

I looked down, resting my head on hers, "Yeah, I gathered…"

* * *

Themoment was interrupted by a loud high pitched beep. I looked over to the kitchen, only to see a small pillar of smoke coming from the stove. Above it was the smoke detector, lighting up and screaming 'fire.' I pushed myself off the couch, and turned to the trembling girl, "I'm just gonna turn off the stove, unless you're still hungry."

"I'm not, but thanks," she smiled weakly.

Disentangling myself from her, I got up, and began walking towards the kitchen. As I did so, her phone began to ring. I looked over my shoulder, and saw on her face a look of dread. She answered without looking at the caller's name. "Hello?" "Oh, good morning, sir."

I quickly rushed into the kitchen and turned off the stove.

"Really?" She asked, looking up at me in confusion, as I glanced at her again, taking the pan off the burner and dumping its contents into the trash. "I see… That does make sense."

I nearly threw the pot into the sink in my rush to get back to the couch. I sat down next to the girl, and she looked at me with wide eyes before wrapping her arms around me once more. "I'll bring her then. Is that all?" "Good bye."

"Who was that?" I asked, wondering, as it seemed to concern me.

"The ministry of internal affairs."

"Oh," I remarked, surprised that Kazuko had connections there.

"I have a… _friend_ there who wants to speak with us tomorrow. It's concerning the Death Gun incident."

"Oh." _She has friends in the government?_

"The meeting is right after school tomorrow, so I can pick you up from your school tomorrow if you want…"

My face grew slightly warmer, "Oh, where are we going? I might not need it."

"To a little cheesecake shop across town."

_Yay! I can't walk there._

_~why do you say 'yay'~_

_I don't know, I just feel happy…_

_~does the idea of spending time with her excite you~_

… _Maybe..._

_~ha ~ you like her~_

_I enjoy being her friend._

_~sure ~ thats all~_

"Oh… Well if it's not too much trouble-"

"Nope! I'd be happy to pick you up."

_She seems to, at least for the moment, forgotten about Asuna._

_~no ~ she's just hiding her feelings~_

I caught her eye glancing at the clock, "I've taken a lot of your time, do you need to go? I'll be alright now."

"Oh, well, actually I should be getting home soon, I'm sure my sister is worried."

"Okay," I said, giving her one last hug, "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess."

She nodded and squeezed me a little, "Yeah, I'll see you." she said, standing up and grabbing her jacket.

She was at the door now, hesitating on her exit, "And Shino…"

"Yeah?"

"Don't stop being adorable," she muttered, before racing out of my apartment, the door crashing shut behind her.

* * *

**_A/N: Thanks_** _for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please remember to _**_R&amp;R,_** _your feedback really helps._

_For those of you without traumatic pasts, the difference between a _**_nightmare_** _and a _**_bad dream_** _is in a nightmare, you feel pain(Mental or physical), and even when you wake up you feel like you're losing your mind. Also, you generally end up puking, or feel like killing yourself. A bad dream is just when you wake up screaming or in a cold sweat. So yeah… I'm sure some of you have never had a real nightmare, that's why… I just wanted to let you know that, because you're never too old to have nightmares._

_I'll be taking a small break from this fic to write the next chapter of The Archery Skill, sorry. But I promise not to abandon this fic!_

_Thank you to _**_~Furrballnerd, _**_and _**_~Mauriot_** _for all their help with this chapter._

_Next: _**_Recoil_**


	4. Recoil

_**~Posiden666:**_ _The author's note will be at the bottom of the chapter this time._

_**Some things that may be useful in this, and later, chapters:**_

_(Particularly the difference in Shino's thoughts.)_

"Speaking,"

_Thinking._

_~my heart~_

Narration.

* * *

**Heart of Lead**

Chapter 4: **Recoil**

* * *

...**The player fatality rate** had dropped to almost no one dying to the game, unfortunately, player killing was becoming all too common. The source was a new guild "Laughing Coffin," their mission in the game was not to clear, but to kill. They lived only to hear the last screams of their victims and the pure terror in their eyes as they watched with sadistic glee…

* * *

My eyes slowly blinked open. There were no violet ones to greet mine this time, however. I sighed. _Better get ready for school._ I crawled out of the bed and went over to my closet.

When I had finished changing I turned around giving the room a once-over. My eyes lingered on the Drawer. I hesitated a moment. _Am I finally strong enough?_ I walked over to it and closed my eyes running my hand along the wooden surface of the Drawer until I felt the cold metal of the handle. I closed my eyes, letting out a deep breath and I opened it. My heart was racing. There it was. I slowly reached into the drawer and closed my hands around the grip gently lifting it from the cloth. Nothing. _I can do it!_ I lifted the gun and closed one eye - a pose all too familiar. Nothing. Carefully, I squeezed the trigger. **Bang.** Darkness.

I was sprawled across what I assumed to be the floor and opened my eyes. They throbbed with pain. I tried to sit up, but my head felt like it was going to explode. I breathed in and the taste of pennies coated my mouth. _I must've bitten my tongue_ I slowly lifted my head and rested it on my hand. My hair was sticky. Blood.

I lay there for what seemed like an eternity. _School. I have to go to school._ I sighed. _Maybe I can just skip school today._

_~but what about Kazuko?~_

_Kazuko?_

_~do you not remember?~_

_Kazuko is picking me up from school today!_

I sat up eagerly, "Oww!" I yelped in surprise, however, the pain had subsided for the most part.

_Better get cleaned up quickly._

* * *

I took a deep breath and walked into the classroom. It was loud like it always was before class. Loud enough to distract everyone from my presence, but it wasn't loud enough to distract me from my thoughts, unfortunately. _Only eight more hours till I get to see Kazuko again._ I sat down at my desk in the back of the class and opened my book. _It's going to be a long day._

* * *

**Ring-ring** I was snatched from my thoughts by the shrill sound of the bell. _Finally, I thought school would never end._ I grabbed my things and wrapped my muffler around my neck - covering up my mouth - and rushed out the door.

My heart was pounding as I ran down the stairs. Past banks of lockers and huddles of students discussing afternoon plans. There it was: the main exit. _Kazuko should be right outside_

"Asada... Asada, Shino." A voice from behind me called.

I froze. No. Not now. I was so close… So close that I could feel a chill from the brisk wind outside. I turned around, "Endou." I growled

She pulled the lollipop she was sucking on out of her mouth and gave me a sickening smile, "Is that any way to greet a friend, sweetie?" She cooed.

"We're not friends."

The girl made a pained expression, "But Asada-san, I'm always so nice to you."

I began to back towards the exit slowly. "You've never been nice to me. You do nothing but take advantage of my weakness," I shouted.

The girl shot me an evil grin, "Uh oh, Shino-san is losing her temper," she said looking around, "We all know how that turns out."

I glanced around and noticed a small crowd of onlookers had started to form.

"Do you have somewhere you need to be Asada-san? You seemed to be in an awfully big hurry earlier." Endou began to approach me. "Have a hot date or something?" She jeered.

_How does she know about Kazuko? _I was shocked. I felt my face begin to heat up. _Although I guess it's not really a date either… Why would I even think that?_

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud screeching noise coming from Endou. She was bursting with laughter. Around me, some of the other students were snickering. "I get it," one of her goons cackled, "no one could ever love a murderer like her,"

I felt a pang in my chest, and I felt my eyes begin to moisten. I turned around - trying my best to hide my soon-to-be tears from Endou and the others - and walked out the door.

Behind me, I heard a voice call out to me, but I ignored it. I didn't have to just stand there and let them insult me. I finally reached the door. I pushed through it and was greeted by the warm rays of the afternoon sun.

"Asada!"

Two people had yelled my name. I brought my hand over my brow to search for Kazuko. There was a figure across the terrace dressed in skinny jeans, a black jacket, and a cap that was covering what appeared to be a boyish mop of black hair. _There she is…_ I waved my hand and called out to her "Kazu-" A hand grabbed each of my arms and forced me to turn around. It was Endou and her delinquents.

"You'll look at me when I'm speaking to you you worthless piece of trash," Endou growled.

At that, I felt like I could almost hit her but I knew it wouldn't do any good. I cast my eyes down and my hair fell in front of my eyes. I knew that if I did anything to her it would just make everything worse.

"Let go of her," a voice from behind her commanded. I looked up. There was Kazuko, leaning against the wall, her piercing purple eyes sending shivers down even my spine.

"Oh?" queried Endou, "And why should they do that?"

"Because she's with me." Kazuko threatened, "And I can make you regret it."

Endou looked around, a large crowd of students had gathered, and then at Kazuko. "C'mon," she commanded to her goons, and she stormed off.

"Are you okay Shino-chan?" Kazuko asked.

I gaped at her with awe at what I had just witnessed. For the first time I could remember someone had successfully stood up to Endou. "I-i'm fi..." I was too focused on her to really notice the people gawking, and catching only the occasional remark about how cute Kazuko was or a question about our relationship being whispered from the crowd. I smiled, "I'll feel better when you buy me some cheesecake."

She looked a bit confused for a second but then gave me that devious smirk of hers, "My bike's just over there," she said, getting off the wall and heading off in the towards the street. I caught up beside her. After a moment of walking together through the cherry blossoms in a comfortable silence, she wrapped her arm around my waist, eliciting gasps and several squeaks from the crowd behind us.

* * *

The wind rushed around me, my scarf flapping behind me. I had never been on a motorcycle before and it was exhilarating. My arms were wrapped around Kazuko as if my life depended on it; some of her hair had escaped from her helmet and cascaded around me in the violent wind. I smiled and leaned in a little closer to her. _She makes me feel so safe._

~you've never felt like this with anyone else have you~

_No… I haven't…_

_~then follow your heart ~ follow me~_

_What do you mean?_

_~just wait ~ you'll come to understand~_

Kazuko slowed down and pulled into the parking space in front of a cute-looking traditional french café with a patio to the street covered partially by an awning. The ride had gone by too fast. "Shino?" asked the girl.

"Huh? Wha?"

"We're here," she said, taking off her helmet and shaking out her waist-length hair.

"How do you get all that under your hat or helmet?" I asked her skeptically.

"Oh. You know," Kazuko muttered, "Years of practice."

"And why did you show up at my school looking like a boy?"

"Because… Well, it turned out for the best didn't it?"

"Yes, bu-but that's not the point. Everyone thinks you're my…" I trailed off, too shy to continue.

"Your what?" The girl asked feigning innocence.

"My BOYfriend!" I yelled with frustration.

"Awwe" she cooed, "Would you rather I be your _girl_friend?"

"Wh-what?! I… I don't know what you mean," I stammered, turning away from her to hide my face, "let's just go inside and see what your _friend_ wants."

* * *

As the door to the café closed behind us the little bell tied to it jingled. The floor to ceiling windows provided ample natural light and that, combined with the couches and armchairs gave the café a very cozy and safe feeling. The scent of coffee and hot chocolate wafted to me, bringing back memories of my mother. "Kirigaya-san," beckoned a voice to our left.

I followed Kazuko towards the man who had called her over and we sat down across from him.

"Seijirou," she said flatly.

"And you must be the famous Asada-san," he greeted. After a short pause, he flashed a grin at Kazuko and continued, "Kazuko has told me so much about you. It's wonderful to finally meet you; I only wish the circumstances were a bit better."

Confused, I asked, "Umm, what are the circumstances?"

"Death Gun," he said, a serious expression falling over his face.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _Thanks for reading, hope you liked it._

_I am reallyreallyreallyreally really __**sorry**_ _that I've not posted in forever (But at least I didn't abandon it). Please don't hate me. The next chapter will also probably take a while to post, as completing the next chapter in my other fic (The Archery Skill) is a very daunting task._

_Please __**review**_ _or PM me with feedback; it really helps and gives me more drive to write._

_Really I don't mind if you PM me and tell me how I'm a terrible person for making you wait so long or whatever._

_I'd also love to thank my beta readers __**~Furrballnerd**_ _and __**~Mauriot**_ _for all their help._

_Next: Silenced_


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